Amour 2017 Day 3: Royalty
by FyoraHime
Summary: Princess Serena needs an escort, but she won't settle for anyone less than her soulmate. Amourshipping one-shot. Royalty!AU and Soulmate!AU


"Your Highness, surely at least one of those fine young nobles would make a suitable escort!"

Firmly, the princess shook her head. The hopeful light in her attendant's eyes began to fade, and a dark cloud of uncertainty began to brew in its place. "Not a single word appeared?" Another shake of the head. With a sigh, the attendant bowed and started to back out of the room. "I know your heart is set on arriving with your soulmate, but milady… sometimes, a ruler must be willing to make compromises and be flexible." After casting one more hesitant glance at the princess, he left, gingerly closing the door behind him.

"I wish it were that simple," Princess Serena murmured ruefully. She kicked off her heels, placed her tiara on its velvet pillow, and flopped onto her bed with a loud "oomph!" She appreciated her attendant's attempt to be courteous by making his point with a generalization rather than directly commenting on her behavior, but she knew his true intentions. He was growing impatient with her; quite frankly, most of her subjects probably were fed up with her stubbornness. The notion of marrying one's soulmate was a childish dream, a fairy tale thrust upon the masses to provide them with a source of hope, a source of motivation. They would continue to work diligently and toil through their mundane activities, if they believed that one day, they would unite with their soulmate and be able to live a fulfilling, romantic life with their other half. Nobility and royalty had important tasks to complete and requirements to meet, and they often married for political power or financial gain rather than something as insubstantial as "true love" or "destiny." Where were the tangible benefits? Besides, if a prince or princess was the soulmate of a pauper, the ramifications could be disastrous. The entire social structure of the kingdom could be overthrown if beggars could become nobility solely because they dared to ask a lord or lady for spare change.

Princess Serena refused to listen to the negativity and skepticism of her peers. "They don't understand." Perhaps her whimsical fantasies were unbefitting of a young woman of her status, but she didn't see the harm in trying to seek out her soulmate. Wasn't a princess allowed to dream? Besides, if soulmates were inessential, and more burdensome than beneficial, then why did every person have one? Farmers, artisans, knights, kings… Everyone who encountered their soulmate found themselves marked by the very first words they exchanged. Supposedly, when a person first speaks to his or her soulmate, that person's first words to the soulmate become etched into the soulmate's skin, and vice versa. The first words could appear on any part of the body, and Serena thoroughly checked herself every day to see whether or not words had appeared. The process was painless, so she wouldn't know whether or not she had encountered her soulmate that day without such initiative.

Currently, the honey blonde princess was one of several contenders for the kingdom's crown. The late Queen Aria had no successors, so her caretaker Monsieur Pierre had sent out a message to all the young women of the many subsects of the Kalos kingdom who bore any trace of worthy blood in her veins: The crown is up for grabs. Each young maiden was expected to appear with an escort at a specified location, where the true competition would begin. Serena had spent all day sitting patiently in her little castle's throne room as princes and nobles filed in, trying to woo her one by one. Unbeknownst to them, Serena had only listened to their first sentences, and had spent the rest of the time nodding politely and feigning interest while making a mental note of her favorites. As soon as the last potential suitor had left, immediately the princess had checked her body hopefully. Unfortunately, she still found her skin unmarked, as it had been that morning, the morning before, and every morning of her life thus far. She only needed an escort, not a fiancée, but if she were to be selected as the next queen, the lucky suitor by her side would probably ascend to that role as well.

A sudden knock on the door forced the princess to raise her head from the soft cushion of blankets and pillows. "Come in," she called wearily, expecting one of her attendants to call her back to the throne room for another round of speed dating, or perhaps her mother would be coming in to admonish her for being so picky when time was running short. She planted her face back into the folds of a quilt, taking relish in its comfort as she braced for the oncoming storm.

The door creaked open very slowly, as if the person behind it hadn't expected the bedroom door of a princess to weigh so much. This peculiar behavior should have alerted Serena immediately that her visitor was not a regular resident of the castle, but she was too exhausted and frustrated to take notice. "Hey, are you all right?"

That was not a familiar voice. Serena shot up at once and whipped her head around to see a bewildered, raven-haired farm boy staring back at her. Her face flushed and she straightened up to a proper, princess-like posture, and she scrambled to grab her tiara and place it atop her messy golden locks. "C-Commoners aren't allowed in the princess's chambers," she stammered, trying to maintain some air of authority. "U-um, I appreciate your concern, though. Yes, I'm f-f-fine." Upon closer inspection, she noticed that his rugged features were almost handsome, for a plebeian. "What brings you to the castle today?"

Surprisingly, he didn't seem intimidated by the fact that he had broken the rules, nor did he look startled by the princess's disgruntled appearance. "I'm glad you're feeling okay. You seemed a little down, Princess." Had he just remembered who she was? The title seemed to be a last-minute addition, but it was enough to calm Serena down and boost her confidence. "Oh, I've come to be a squire! I'm a little lost, though. You see, I'm from a little village in the Kanto lands, and Kalos is so big…" He laughed and rubbed his finger under his nose sheepishly. He was finally self-aware, but nonetheless he maintained a bright smile. His casual but cheerful disposition was warm and genuine; it was rather refreshing to see him after dealing with stuffy nobles all day, who were only trying to please her for the sake of their own political agendas. Although one knight actually seemed fond of her, offering to "dance his way into her heart."

Nodding slowly in understanding as she absorbed the information the young man had provided, Serena reached over to her dresser to lift a small bell. "I'll have one of my attendants guide you," she explained. "Anyone with a grey patch is a member of the Vaniville Castle's Rhyhorn assembly, and you can be s-sure that they are loyal to me and my mother." By the time she had finished speaking, two attendants had already arrived. "Please guide this young squire to where he needs to be." She was almost sorry to see him go. "I wish you the best of luck, mister…"

"Ash," he finished. "Ash Ketchum. Don't worry, Princess! I'll be the very best knight, like no one ever was." He called out those last exuberant words to her as one of her attendants practically pulled him out of the room. Despite the hurried and perhaps harsh treatment he was receiving, his eyes still glittered with anticipation and ambition.

Once the door had closed, the remaining attendant turned anxiously toward the princess. "Are you all right, Your Highness? Did the commoner threaten or touch you? I'm truly sorry for this incompetence…" She clasped her hands together and bowed as she begged for forgiveness.

"No need to apologize!" Serena held her hands up rapidly and waved them in front of her face. "Today has been a long day, but I promise I'm fine. That boy was rather worried about me too, come to think of it…" Her sleeves slipped down as she waved her hands frantically. The princess's blue eyes grew wide in shock, and a mixture of horror and hope swam in her gaze.

"Princess, are you sure you're all right? You look as pale as a ghost!"

This morning, Serena would have agreed. Her skin had been pale and unblemished, her blue veins clearly visible and coursing beneath a paper-thin layer of porcelain. Now, black writing wrapped around her wrist, looking as though it had been hastily scrawled by a careless but excited hand. _"Hey, are you all right?"_ If this meant what she thought it did, then these kind words of concern were forever etched into her skin. _'Did I just tell my soulmate that he isn't even allowed in my room?'_ She buried her face in blankets and pillows again. "Go fetch that boy, Ash Ketchum," she mumbled, her voice muffled by bedding. "I want him as my escort."

"A f-farm boy, Your Highness?" If her attendant was trying to hide her disapproval, she wasn't succeeding. "Only nobility and royalty are—"

"Then enter him into the League of knights," Serena replied coolly, referring to the most prestigious collection of sword-wielding men and women in the land. "He'll compete his way to the top. The knight who wins the League title becomes nobility, right? He can do it." Her next words were too quiet for her attendant to hear, but they were only intended for her ears anyway. The words she had longed to say for so long. "He's my soulmate."


End file.
